Ken Jeong Is the Secret MVP of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’

I love Crazy Rich Asians. Watching the summer hit is like a shot of serotonin straight to my head. It leaves me giddy and feeling uplifted. So much so that Crazy Rich Asians has become my go-to “chill out” movie. You know, that one film you pop on when all you want to do is unwind. The more I watch and rewatch Crazy Rich Asians, the more I absolutely abhor mean girl Amanda Ling, and the more I’m dazzled by Ken Jeong‘s underrated turn as Wye Mun Goh.

It’s no secret that Crazy Rich Asians owes its success to its brilliant ensemble. Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Henry Golding, Jimmy O. Yang, Nico Santos, Aquafina, Sonoya Mizuno, and of course, Michelle Yeoh, have all been deservedly raking up heaps of praise since the film debuted in August. But one name that seems to always been cut out of those honorifics is Ken Jeong’s. It’s possible it’s because he was arguably already the most well-known comic force in the cast (so his hilarious bit part didn’t seem to be quite as revelatory). Nevertheless, Jeong breezily manages to pull off some of the film’s biggest laughs in one quick lunch scene.

When we first meet Wye Mun Goh, we see him through Rachel’s eyes. She is the American visiting Singapore, and every experience is new. Wye Mun introduces himself with an over-the-top Asian accents. It’s a caricature of many of the bad Asian stereotypes we’ve seen in American films, but then just as it gets uncomfortable, Jeong flips the accent and adopts something you’d hear in suburban Texas. He explains that he went to school in the states, same as Peik Lin. What we get from there on out is the portrait of a typical dad. He’s insisting that the kids eat up and poking at everyone’s insecurities.

The beauty of Jeong’s performance is while it’s mischievous, it’s never wholly mean. Sure, Wye Mun razzes his older two children, but his slams are born of exasperation more than malice. This is a father who roots for his kids, as evidenced by the way he tries to encourage P.T. to flirt with Rachel, or how gentle he is with the twins. In fact, Wye Mun Goh might be the only present and loving father figure in all of Crazy Rich Asians. His behavior with his family is in stark contrast to Eddie, who uses his children almost like props, Michael, who skips his son’s birthday for work, or Rachel and Nick’s dads, both of whom are conspicuously missing (and in Rachel’s case, for startling reasons).

Wye Mun Goh is a loving father. He earnestly wants his kids to be happy, to help Rachel take on her detractors, and to be loved up with his wife. (Honestly, bless director Jon M. Chu for including that brief moment where Wye Mun giddily embraces Mrs. Goh in Rachel’s makeover montage.) He’s also an emotional ambassador for the audience. The joke might be that he’s not an Asian stereotype, but he is a classic “dad.” He embarrasses his children, but he has a warm and welcoming soul.